Launching today
pourquoi.app
A mindful pause before opening your apps
15 followers
A mindful pause before opening your apps
15 followers
Every time you open an app you picked, pourquoi.app asks why. You answer in one tap, then decide whether to carry on. Nothing gets blocked. Your answers show where your time really goes. Free on iPhone and Android, no ads.
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Oooh, clever! That’s a really interesting spin on app blockers. Most just teach you to tap "ignore".
Does it ever ask differently depending on the time? If I open the same app at 11pm for the third time, that’s when I’d want it to push a bit harder.
@ian_sharpe
Thanks Ian. Glad it clicked!
Yes, that's exactly the 11pm case. At night (10pm to 6am by default, you can move it), if you keep reopening your apps (3 opens in 30 minutes by default), pourquoi.app adds a line, even after a valid reason: "3 app opens in 30 min. How about doing something else?", with a few ideas like a one-minute breathing exercise or a phone-down timer.
And if you give the same answer on the same app for the third time that day, it points it out ("Same answer, 3 times today") and asks what brings you back.
It still never blocks: it shows you the pattern, then you decide whether to carry on. Curious though: what would "pushing a bit harder" look like for you?
@nicolas_carrion Ha, you’re already ahead of me. The “same answer, 3 times today” bit is great.
Pushing harder for me would probably just be making me type the reason instead of tapping it. At 11pm I’ll tap anything to get past, but having to actually write “bored” would make me stop and think.
@ian_sharpe That’s a really good idea. Typing “bored” takes a few more seconds than a tap, and that small bit of extra friction is what makes you actually ask yourself the question.
Might just be a feature in the next version 😜
It's an really good app !
I'm glad to see it launching on product hunt, have been using it for more than a month, it really helped me to reduce screen time without being blocked. It's an excellent amount of friction that allows you to think twice before opening your phone.
Great job !
Hope it will become the product of the day !
@thomas_rayvol
Thank you so much!
"Think twice" is the whole idea: nothing gets blocked, you just gest a second to decide whether to keep going.
Is there anything that still feels clunky after a month of use?
Hi Product Hunt 👋 I’m Nico, a solo developer from France.
I used to track my screen time and set limits. I ignored them every time. What worked better for me was a different question, asked right as I opened an app: why am I opening this, right now?
pourquoi.app asks exactly that. You pick the apps. When you open one, you answer in one tap and decide whether to keep going. Nothing gets blocked. Over time, your answers show where your time goes on autopilot.
On iPhone, it works through a Shortcuts automation. On Android, it can also ask when you unlock your phone.
The core is free. Premium (7-day free trial) adds long-term stats, screen time linked to your answers and a weekly recap.
One question for you: have you ever dropped an app blocker? What made you give up on it?
Great app, tackling a real problem. Being able to track how much time we spend one our phone and track our most used apps really helps to be mindful of our phone usage.